1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluorescent tube holder for a fluorescent tube base mounting apparatus used in the manufacture of fluorescent lamps, and more particularly, to the fluorescent tube holder used for securely holding and transporting the fluorescent tube and the bases therefor with the leads emerging from ends of the fluorescent tube inserted into the base pins in the fluorescent tube base mounting apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional manufacture of fluorescent lamps, in order that the fluorescent tube and the bases therefor are adhered together in subsequent steps, it was the general practice in a base mounting apparatus to insert leads for the filament coil emerging from an end of the fluorescent tube together with base pins into the bases which are supported at the ends of the fluorescent tube during the intermediate steps in which the fluorescent tubes were held and transported by a number of fluorescent tube holders provided at equal distances in the conveyor chains. However, since the leads themselves were weak and there was no particular means provided to hold the bases securely, the conventional base mounting apparatus had a serious disadvantage that the bases supported in this manner easily separated or fell apart from the fluorescent tube in the course of transportation, thereby making it impossible to mount the bases reliably and securely at high speed.